1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laundry machines, particularly such machines that are combination washer-dryers and particularly relates to the blower mechanism in such a machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Combination washer-dryers are machines which provide for complete laundering of clothes, that is, they provide a washing operation which includes washing and rinsing, a liquid extraction operation for removing a substantial part of the liquid from the clothes after wash operation, and a complete drying of the clothes, generally effected by tumbling the clothes in the presence of warm air. In some of these combination type laundry machines a centrifugal extraction operation by spinning the basket is used to remove most of the liquid from the clothes while in other the liquid is removed from the machine by means of suction. One such laundry machine of the latter type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,975, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, wherein after the washing operation is completed a substantial amount of suction is operative at the bottom of the drum as the drum is rotated and after the liquid content of the clothes has been brought down the regular heat drying operation is begun. That is, the clothes are tumbled in the rotating drum as warm air is circulated through the clothes.
Another combination washer-dryer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,447 wherein after or during the clothes within the drum have been subjected to a washing operation vacuum is drawn on the drum through a plurality of peripheral passageways that are connected to the interior of the drum and the wash water is extracted, then vacuum and/or heated air continues to dry the clothes for the remainder of the drying operation.
On of the difficulties with the vacuum extraction type combination washer-dryer laundry machine is that the vacuum blower must be powerful enough to accomplish its extraction operation which in turn makes it rather noisy.
It is desirable to be able to have a combination washer-dryer laundry machine that will be efficient in operation, low in manufacturing cost, and economical to operate in order to make it desirable. Moreover, since laundry machines are to be used in places of residence it is highly desirable that the machine can be operated within minimum noise.
By our invention all of the above-described characteristics of a laundry machine may be achieved and in particular the last mentioned characteristic of reduced noise caused by the vacuum blower.